BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Congress has released its first list of 144 candidates for the 2023 assembly elections. The list includes 69 of the 96 sitting MLAs, including state party president Kamal Nath. The party has fielded a mix of experienced leaders and young candidates, with 19 women and 65 candidates below the age of 50. The caste break-up of the candidates shows 39 OBC, 30 ST, and 22 SC candidates, along with six minority community candidates. Former chief minister Kamal Nath will contest from his Chhindwara bastion.
The Congress has put significant thought into the distribution of tickets, denying factional quotas and giving representation to OBCs. The party has released its first list nearly two months after the ruling BJP announced its lineup. So far, the BJP has announced 136 candidates.
Some key highlights from the Congress list include fielding actor Vikram Mastal against chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in his stronghold of Budhni, and former Speaker NP Prajapati and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria being dropped. Leader of Opposition in the assembly Dr Govind Singh has been fielded from Lahar constituency in Bhind district, and former BJP MP Bodh Singh Bhagat has been fielded from Katangi in Balaghat district.
The list also features family members of prominent Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh’s son Jaivardhan, brother Lakshman Singh, and nephew Priyavrat Singh. Most ministers from the previous Nath government have been fielded from their constituencies.
There are some interesting contests to watch out for, such as the one between sitting MLA Sanjay Shukla and BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya in Indore-1, and the contest between former finance minister Tarun Bhanot and former BJP state president Rakesh Singh in Jabalpur South.
However, the Congress could not find a leader within its ranks to challenge chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni, and has roped in actor Vikram Mastal for the task. In 2018, Congress had fielded Union minister Arun Yadav against Chouhan, but he lost by 58,999 votes.
The list also includes candidates from Balaghat district, where former minister Gauri Shankar Bisen has not been fielded by the BJP yet, opening up the possibility of a woman-versus-woman contest if the BJP fields Bisen’s daughter Mausam.
Overall, the Congress has made strategic decisions while finalizing its candidate list, aiming to build a strong future leadership and ensure representation for different castes and communities in the state.
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